Delaware Route 279 (
DE 279) is a long
state highway located in northern
New Castle County,
Delaware. It runs from the
Maryland state line southwest of
Newark, where it continues as
Maryland Route 279 (MD 279), northeast to
DE 4 and
DE 896 in Newark. DE 279 follows a four-lane
divided highway called Elkton Road and serves as part of the route connecting
Elkton, Maryland with Newark. The roadway is maintained by the
Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT). DE 279 was originally the westernmost portion of
DE 2, designated in the 1930s. This portion of road was widened into a divided highway in 1972. In 2013, DE 2 was truncated from the Maryland border to east of Newark to simiplify the route designations through Newark, resulting in DE 279 being designated to its current alignment.